How good do you have to be?

Former astronaut Frank Borman once said, "A superior pilot uses his superior judgment to avoid situations which require the use of his superior skill." You’ve probably heard this phrase if you’ve been flying long enough. It’s catchy and sounds quite plausible. But how exactly should this quote be interpreted? Is it that superior judgment precludes the necessity for superior skill, or maybe that superior skill precludes the necessity for superior judgment? If you picked either one, then you’re in trouble! The spirit of the quote is that a superior pilot has both good judgment and piloting skills and the best way to improve your flying skills is by exercising good judgment first.
So why have good piloting skills at all? Unfortunately, pilots, like everyone else, commit errors in judgment from time to time. This is a normal part of being human (some pilots think they are super-human!) and should be accepted. However, since this is a fact of life, it is also necessary to maintain good flying skills so that occasional errors in judgment can be overcome. Think of good flying skills as an insurance policy. If something goes wrong in the judgment department, the skills department might be able to compensate. The purpose of maintaining these skills is not so you can have contests with your friends. It is for when good judgment goes out the window and you find yourself in a difficult flying situation.
So what exactly constitutes superior judgment? One dictionary defines judgment as the ability to form an opinion objectively and wisely. I define superior judgment (in the flying context) as the ability to objectively determine the outcomes of a particular action and assess the risk associated with those various outcomes. In part, it is the ability to apply risk assessment to a situation. If there are more risky outcomes than safe ones then exercising good judgment and avoiding that action is warranted. This is a difficult determination to make in some cases and good piloting skills clearly influence the judgment process. Since your superior skill may lull you into a false sense of security, it is wise to question a risky action in the following manner:

1. Is this action difficult to perform and is it absolutely necessary to my flight operation?

2. If it is difficult and necessary, do my skills exceed that which is necessary for a successful outcome? If the action is difficult and not necessary, you should not do it! Use common sense to influence your judgment and you’ll usually come to the correct conclusion about a questionable activity.
Since a given situation may not afford the time to make an adequate and correct judgment, it is absolutely essential that your piloting skills be in good shape. Constantly challenge yourself to fly as well as you can. For example, strive to carefully maintain heading, altitude and airspeeds, practice cross-country navigation log procedures, and review emergency procedures. If your landings are free falls from four feet and your passengers refer to them as "spine crushers" then work on those too. These are but a few ways to keep sharp. Sloppy flying habits will lead to a sloppy response at a critical time during flight. You may not have time to correct a control input mistake, so these skills need to be automatic. The term automatic means that you should be able to respond to conditions like crosswind control on landings without thinking about every control movement you make.
How good do you have to be? The bottom line is that you can never be too good. Your flying skills can always use improvement. If you feel you have achieved that "superior judgment," as well as the "superior skills" that Borman talks about, remember that these alone do not make a pilot invincible. There are still conditions and situations that no pilot or craft is capable of handling. Exercise your superior judgment and maintain superior flying skills and you may just survive long enough for someone else to label you as a superior pilot!